Welcome to The Lab, FiveThirtyEight’s basketball podcast. On this week’s show (Dec. 21, 2017), Neil, Chris and Kyle discuss Kobe Bryant’s retirement ceremony and debate whether No. 8 Kobe or No. 24 Kobe is the Bryant they’d want on their team. Next, they break down the Philadelphia 76ers’ up-and-down season, taking a deep look at Ben Simmons and what he needs to do to improve his play. Plus, a small-sample-size segment on Kawhi Leonard’s return.